Drug Release Control

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Stanford Reference: 10-297 Abstract Richard Zare’s lab at Stanford University has developed a ground-breaking drug release system in which injected medication can be controlled externally with excellent spatial, temporal, and dosage control. Specifically, nanoparticles of a conducting polymer (polypyrrole) are loaded with the drug of interest and injected locally with the assistance of a temperature-sensitive hydrogel. The drug release from the conductive nanoparticles is controlled externally by the application of a weak, external DC electric field. Unlike other drug release systems which involve implantable chips or delivery of drugs with laser pulses, ultrasounds or magnetic fields, no surgery or complicated instrumentation is required. External Video: https://youtu.be/k573rSiSYzU Applications Drug delivery - wide range of applications such as pain control, cancer treatment, diabetes control. Advantages Simple release mechanism - straightforward instrumentation is needed, no surgery Convenient dosing - singel dose injected once and controlled externally Minimally invasive - weak electric field is applied from outside the body Minimizes side effects by targeting drugs to localized areas. Publications U.S. Published Patent Application 20120238943, "METHODS OF ELECTRIC FIELD INDUCED DELIVERY OF COMPOUNDS, COMPOSITIONS USED IN DELIVERY, AND SYSTEMS OF DELIVERY ". Niloufar Hosseini-Nassab, Devleena Samanta, Yassan Abdolazimi, Justin P. Annesb and Richard N. Zare, "Electrically controlled release of insulin using polypyrrole nanoparticles," Nanoscale 2017. Devleena Samanta, Niloufar Hosseini-Nassaba and Richard N. Zare, "Electroresponsive nanoparticles for drug delivery on demand," Nanoscale, 2016,8, 9310-9317, DOI: 10.1039/C6NR01884J. Methods of electric field induced delivery of compounds, compositions used in delivery, and systems of delivery (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20120238943) Jun Ge, Evgenios Neofytou, Thomas J. Cahill, III,Ramin E. Beygui, and Richard N. Zare,  Drug Release from Electric-Field-Responsive Nanoparticles , ACS Nano, vol. 6, no.1, pp. 227-233, 2012, published online November 23, 2011, DOI: 10.1021/nn203430 Spark of Genius: Releasing Drugs from Electric-Field-Sensitive Nanoparticles, ACS Nano Highlights, Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 5, 2012, published online January 24, 2012, DOI: 10.1021/nn2050328 External electric fields trigger drug release from new hydrogel formulation, Nanomedicine March 2012, 7(3), p. 316, Research Highlight, DOI: 10.2217/NNM.12.19 Smart Drugs Get Zapped , Chemical & Engineering News, Dec 6, 2011. Stage of research Using a mouse test system, the inventors have demonstrated that they could control the dosage and timing of drug release by varying the strength and duration of an external electrical field. The mouse studies also showed that the polypyrrole gel breaks down completely after one or two months with no apparent side effects.  Related Keywords on-demand drug delivery   conducting polymers   drug delivery   biomaterials   conductive polymer   nanoparticles drug delivery   subcutaneous drug delivery   therapeutic: drug delivery   top pharma companies   biodegradable nano particles   biodegradable polymer   polymer biochemistry   on-demand drug release   nanomedicine   nanotechnology therapeutics